Where do the LGBTQIA+ people in Cebu party? There’s no queer center to speak of, unlike Sydney that has Oxford Street, London that has Soho and Vauxhall, New York that has Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen and the West Village. Instead, the venues are scattered everywhere… often close to where people work.
One of these queer venues is Kwikspar Snack Bar.
So… how’s the place for us?
Una, it’s easy to find is you just follow Google Maps or Waze. But note that there are two Kwikspar venues in Cebu City (another is in Lapu-Lapu City) – one is along Salinas Drive, and the other (the one being reviewed) is at the corner of N. Escario and Tojong St. Pay attention when booking Grab or taxi, or else you’d end up at the wrong venue.
Ikalawa, the place isn’t spotlessly clean. Ganito… there are a number of “areas” within Kwikspar, each serving specific markets. There’s the dancing area, the area with the pool table, the area with the drag performers, and the outdoor area that’s not just for drinking but also for eating al fresco. Throughout, though, the aging state is apparent – e.g. amoy baul pool table area, antiquated wooden tables in the area with the drag performers, stink emanating from the toilet, and so on.
Ikatlo, the system here is similar to a sari-sari store. When you enter, there’s a “tindahan”, where you can buy everything, from your drinks to your chasers to your chichirya pulutan to the ice you’d use and the cups you’d need. And then after these are given to you, you – yourself – bring them to your table. Kanya-kanya; to each his own while here.
Ika-apat, meaning to say, too, there’s really no waiter to speak of. There are workers moving around – e.g. to clean tables, or serve pulutan that’s cooked. But they’re more often not there.
Ika-lima, the crowd varies, particularly on different days. On weekdays, as example, you see under-dressed people, like those the local LGBTQIA+ community refer to as “nautusan lang bumili ng suka”. Nothing wrong there, of course; but you’d feel out of place if you’re overdressed. On weekends naman, a dressier crowd goes to the place; very Cubao market, if you ask us.
And ika-anim, the performances of the drag queens were okay naman – e.g. they even sing using their own voices. We noticed one thing, though: the propensity to keep yelling instead of singing, as if forcing Lani Misalucha or Mariah Carey or… you get the drift, to perform no matter the song choices. Fun to listen to when the performers compete, yes, but masakit din sa tenga.
So, is this place worth visiting? Well… it’s not like you have a lot of choices if you’re in Cebu. But definitely, this isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But at least now you know that a place like this exists in the Queen City of the South.
But off we go for more LGBTQIA+ rampa…
Kwikspar Snack Bar is located at the corner of N. Escario and Tojong St., Cebu City.
